Happy Birthday Bun E. Carlos

Bun E. Carlos (born Brad M. Carlson) is the amiable and adroit drummer, archivist, and set list writer for Rockford, Illinois' illustrious Cheap Trick. Leaving behind the oldies circuit, Carlos fine-tuned his avuncular charm and steady beat as Trick became local heroes and then mega-stars, rising to a brief plateau period in the late '70s. (Another obvious high point came working with John Lennon in 1980.) The band weathered some hard times during the '80s until 1988, when "The Flame" became Trick's only number one (all four members hated this factory ballad). Carlos held drum clinics, produced the Blues Hawks, and lent his talents (along with guitarist Rick Nielsen) to Jim Peterik's band World Stage. After a few quiet decades, Carlos returned to the spotlight in 2009 with a new band, Tinted Windows. Joined by Taylor Hanson (Hanson), James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins), and Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), the band released one album and toured briefly. Carlos formed another band in 2011 called Candy Golde, issuing just one EP. After being embroiled in lawsuits with his Cheap Trick bandmates, Carlos and the band eventually settled legal differences in time for their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, where the quartet performed together for the first time in years. Months later, Carlos released Greetings from Bunezuela!, a solo album comprised of covers from acts like the Bee Gees, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and Guided by Voices, whose Robert Pollard appeared on a cover of first single "Do Something Real." Tinted Windows bandmate Taylor Hanson also contributed to the album with his brothers, as well as Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum) and John Stirratt (Wilco). ~ Doug Stone & Neil Z. Yeung